don't cry for the horses that life has set free
by raining ripples
Summary: Gone. The saddest word in the language. In any language. "Letting go. Everyone talks about it like it's the easiest thing. Unfurl your fingers one by one until your hand is open. But my hand has been clenched into a fist for years now; it's frozen shut." Jelsa.
1. prologue

Hi! I'm here with a new story, this one a crossover fanfiction for Frozen and Rise of the Guardians.  
I have grand plans for this story, not sure how long this will be yet but there will definitely be a sequel (which I have started planning already).  
I will_ try _to update regularly, but no guarantees as uni always gets busy and overwhelming for me.

General disclaimer applies.

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Gone. The saddest word in the language. In any language.

_"Letting go. Everyone talks about it like it's the easiest thing. Unfurl your fingers one by one until your hand is open. But my hand has been clenched into a fist for years now; it's frozen shut." - Gayle Forman_

* * *

_Don't cry for the horses_  
_That life has set free_  
_A million white horses_  
_Forever to be_

_Don't cry for the horses_  
_Now in God's hands_  
_As they dance and they prance_  
_To a heavenly band_

_They were ours as a gift_  
_But never to keep_  
_As they close their eyes_  
_Forever to sleep_

_Their spirits unbound_  
_On silver wings they fly_  
_A million white horses_  
_Against the blue sky_

_Look up into heaven_  
_You'll see them above_  
_The horses we lost_  
_The horses we loved_

_Manes and tails flowing_  
_They Gallop through time_  
_They were never yours_  
_They were never mine_

_Don't cry for the horses_  
_They will be back someday_  
_When our time has come_  
_They will show us the way_

_- Brenda Riley-Seymore_

* * *

_D O N ' T_

…

_**C**_

_**R**_

_**Y**_

* * *

He hooked his fingers on the slightly jagged edge of the stone hoisting himself up, the gloves he was wearing making it harder than it could have been. Grinning to himself, he pulled himself to the top of the wall, proud of his accomplishment. He was pretty high off the ground now and he could see far into the distance, his own home too, he swore he spotted.

The kingdom of Arendelle was beautiful in the winter, he decided, and looking down on it from the top of the wall of the castle made the view just so much better. He had planned this little journey for months now, biding his time til the ice was the thickest, making his crossing over the water surrounding the castle as safe as possible. The idea had first sprung not long after the gates had first been shut almost a year ago.  
Yes, even at just 11 years of age Jackson Overland was bright, cheeky and full of scheming genius.

Crouching on the wall, he peered down, debating internally on the ways he would be able to get down. Leaning forward a little too far while peering at the ground, he lost his balance and for a second the world was spinning and his heart displaced before he landed in the soft powder snow with a muffled 'oomph'.

Jack stoop up and brushed himself off, that was one more problem solved, it was now time to explore. Footsteps sounded nearby, soft and only audible in the silent winter air.

"I'm telling you I heard something here." A voice muttered, exasperated.

"It was probably an animal or something, no one would be crazy enough to be out in this weather." The second voice replied.

"Are you stupid? No _animals _would be crazy enough to be out right now."

"See you just answered yourself. Now let's _go."_

The footsteps echoed as they moved back the way they came. Had the guards had bothered to check the ground, footprints leading to the gardens would have been visible in the freshly fallen snow.

Luckily for Jack, the men had been too preoccupied with the thoughts of the roaring fire and hot mugs of cocoa back in their hut. Instead he was now free to roam the grounds. He wondered what it would've been like living here, in these extravagant and luxurious surroundings, but shrugged quickly after the thoughts came, not bothering to entertain them.

He wondered around the gardens that looked beautiful despite the harsh season. Instead of leaves, icicles grew on the branches of trees, delicately refracting any light they could catch. Hedges lined the main walkway, coated in white and marked the path down to a circular space filled with an impressive multi-layered fountain, the water from its pipes frozen in its dance, forming a sculpture of cold beauty. Beyond this, the path continued into a bridge that crossed a magnificent frozen lake. It was on the peak of this bridge he spotted a small figure.

It was a girl, young and rather beautiful with ashy blonde hair, flawlessly pale skin and icy coloured eyes. She stood on the bridge, hunched over the railing so still she could've been mistaken for a statue. Jack threw caution to the wind, and approached her, ignoring the protests of his logical side screaming that if discovered he could be captured and thrown into the dungeons. He stepped onto the bridge silently, moving to stand next to the girl who didn't seem to notice him."Hey" he muttered quietly  
The girl started, snapped out of her reverie. Her face contorted in a look of shock, then confusion, then fear. She slowly started to back away, wary eyes locked onto him.  
Jack raised his hands in the universal gesture of peace, "I mean no harm." he assured her.

"W-who are you?" She asked, momentarily ceasing her retreat.

"Jackson Overland" he replied, "I'm from down in the village."

The girl narrowed her eyes, "How'd you get in here.."

Jack shrugged, "I can do anything" he grinned.

"What are you doing here?" She asked in reply, still suspicious

"I was just curious, always have been," he said stretching his arms above his head, "especially since the gates were closed"

The girl regarded him silently before deciding him not a threat and turning away back to the castle, signalling an end to the exchange.

"Hey, hey," Jack called after her, "That's pretty rude you know, you could give me your name too at least."

She pauses in her steps before quietly uttering "...My name is Elsa."

The name rang a bell in Jack's mind, but he couldn't peg the reason as to why he had heard of the name before. Watching the figure grow smaller he just shrugged and decided he'd ask his mother if she had heard of the name before in the morning. Mind made up, he traced his steps back to the walls and scaled them, he'd explore again another day.

* * *

Sorry it's so short but it's just a preview / lead in to the story. I'll pick things up. :)

_Please _review? It'll help me a lot.  
Encouragement and constructive criticism is extremely welcome! 3

Until next time! xxRR


	2. one

Standard disclaimer applies

_.._

* * *

_"I've learned that waiting is the most difficult bit, and I want to get used to the feeling,_

_knowing that you're with me, even when you're not by my side."_

― Paulo Coelho

* * *

D

O

N

'

T

**C R Y**

* * *

The morning sun shone through the window, cutting through the cold, winter morning air and warming his cheek. He blinked a few times, clearing the sleepy blurriness from his eyes, yawned and stretched his arms above his head, then using his elbows propped himself up on the bed, lazily staring out the window.

A cry cut through the tranquillity of the serene morning, causing Jack to groan and bury his head under his pillow. When the cries ceased to exist, Jack threw his covers off and left his room to be greeted with the sight of his mother trying to feed his three year old sister her breakfast.

"Jack!" Olivia exclaimed as soon as she spotted him, flinging her chubby arms into the air, some of the porridge she was being fed along with it.

"Hey little monster," Jack grinned, laughing as his mother scowled at him, wiping some food off her face before standing as Jack kissed her on the cheek. "Morning mum."

"Go brush your teeth and get changed, OK?" She said, wiping her hands on her apron, "I'll get your breakfast ready."

Jack nodded and left the room to freshen up, when he was back a place was set up for him at the table, a bowl of steaming porridge and plate of fruit beckoning enticingly at him. He sat down and started to eat, shovelling the food down his throat.

"Hey mum?" He said, spoon held in the air in thought, Olivia interrupted him, wailing a "NOOOOO!" to the pieces of banana she was being offered. After a couple of minutes, Jack's mother had managed to force the banana in Olivia's mouth and she turned to Jack, "What was it?"

"Have you ever heard of the name Elsa?"

"Isn't that the name of the crown princess?" His mother replied, "Why do you ask?"

Jack shook his head thoughtfully and shrugged, "Just heard someone say it and it sounded familiar, so I was wondering, that's all." taking the spoon from his mother and moving to feed his younger sister, allowing his mother to have her own breakfast.

After the meal, Jack started on his chores, yet his mind was entirely distracted. So, the girl he had met was the heir to the throne, he mused quietly in his head while scrubbing at a particularly stubborn spot on the window. He was curious, even more so, now that that he found out that he had spoken to the princess. A princess who clearly held an amount of grief deep within her. He grinned and decided would return to the castle that night, hopefully Elsa would be there again and he would get to talk to her.

* * *

When the sun set, temperatures dropped and candles blown out, the Overland family retreated to bed and silence descended on the house. Jack however, was preparing for another trip to the Royal Castle. Shrugging on several layers including a thick, fur lined tunic, he crept past his mother and sister's rooms before pulling on his mukluk boots and mittens. Lastly, he pulled on a warm hat and as quietly as he could pulled open the door slightly and quickly slipped out, making sure the wind wouldn't slam the door loudly shut behind him.

The trip to the castle was a 25 minute trek, another 10 on top dedicated to crossing the frozen fjord. Reaching the walls, Jack once again found the spot he had climbed over the previous day, as it was both the easiest point to scale and sheltered from view by large trees. Once he reached the top, Jack let himself fall, the powder cushioning him. He then made his way to the gardens, almost tripping over his own feet in his haste, barely taking in any of the beauty he had observed last night. When the view of the footbridge appeared in the distance, his heart sank for he could not spot the blonde head he had been hoping to see. He neared the bridge, disappointment weighing him down, he had been looking forward to talking to her again since their meeting, even more when he found out that she was the princess. He stood on the bridge, staring into the sky. A full moon hung in the sky, low, as if weighed down by its size. He rested his chin on his hands and elbows on the railing of the bridge and took in the scenery of the lake that he had missed yesterday during his brief encounter with the princess.

A small gasp broke the silence. Jack looked up, and was astonished to see Elsa standing just a few feet away. A large grin spread across his face before he could stop himself.

"I knew you'd come!" He crowed in triumph, darting towards the girl.

Elsa backtracked hastily, almost tripping over in the process. "D-don't come near me.." She muttered, eyes wide with what could only be labelled as fear.

Jack frowned, "Come on, I'm not gonna hurt you."

Elsa shook her head and mumbled something indecipherable to his ears.

"What?" Jack asked, "Sorry, I didn't catch that."

"No... Never mind its nothing," Elsa said, her posture relaxing a little, "What...what are you doing here again anyway?"

"To see you!" Jack said grinning cheekily.

Elsa rolled her eyes, casting him a suspicious glance as she moved past him to stand at her spot on the bridge, careful to maintain a respectful distance between them.

"So," Jack started, sitting on the ground and leaning on the railing, "Aren't you cold?" He inspected her clothing; a simple floor-length nightgown, coat and gloves.

Elsa gave him a sidelong glance and shook her head, "The cold... Well, it never really bothered me" she said staring at the moon, she shrugged after a brief silence, "I'm not cold."

Jack stared at her with a raised eyebrow, "Oookay, so do you come out here every night? "

"Only during the winter," Elsa muttered

"Cool!" Jack chuckled, "I will too then!"

Elsa ignored him, still staring at the sky, seeming enraptured.

Jack drew swirly patterns in the snow next to him then pushed on, "What's it like being the princess anyway?"

Elsa only ignored him again.

Jack huffed and crossed his arms, face scrunched together at the blatant rejection, "Fine. Why were the gates shut then?"

He didn't expect the reaction he got. Elsa's head whipped around, eyes widened in alarm and she wrung her hands together anxiously. She backed away, "N-no!" She choked out, "I didn't mean to.." She mumbled desperately, "It was an accident!"

She ran past Jack, her figure visibly trembling,

"W-what? Wait!" Jack called, "What's wrong? Did I say something?"

Elsa didn't stop, her form growing smaller as she ran

"Well... I'll wait here tomorrow!" He yelled after her, completely forgetting the fact that he could've been overheard by the guards.

Soon he could no longer hear her panicked gasps and her figure was hidden by trees in the garden. Jack scratched his head, thoroughly confused. He had no idea why she reacted so wildly to his question, he wasn't going to allow this setback to stop him though. He was known to never give up after all.

* * *

The next night, Jack visited the castle grounds again, following the same routine of waiting until his family were in a deep slumber before sneaking out in the dead of night. Elsa didn't show up. He waited for hours from the darkest hour of the night until only hours before sunrise. She forgot, he concluded and resolved to try again the next night.

The night after that was the same. Hours he waited but there was no blonde head that graced the bridge. This pattern continued for many nights. Hour after long hour, Jack sat on the bridge counting stars, looking towards the path at any sound he heard, hoping to see Elsa making her way to the bridge. The nights were long and often he would find himself drifting to sleep, when this happened he would bury his face in the snow to wake himself up. His mother too, noticed a difference in Jack, he was less perky and cheeky and often fell asleep while he did his chores. It worried her, she thought he was ill, when she asked however, he would smile tiredly an assure her that he was fine and 'just tired'.

The days slowly grew warmer, winter was nearing its end and spring would be coming. This worried Jack, with winter's end came an end to his meetings with Elsa, or the chance of them at least.

It was only a week until spring that things changed. He was waiting like usual on the bridge, watching the snow fall as he ate some bread he brought along with him. There was a crunch of a cracking stick but he ignored it, he had long learnt to ignore these sounds that just gave him false hope. He closed his eyes and let out a long breath, feeling the warmth escape him. He frowned as he thought he heard a small sigh, but ignored it, contributing it to his imagination, his eyes remaining closed.

He heard someone unmistakably, take a deep breath then, and words that made his eyes shoot open.

"..Hi Jack."

* * *

Yes, sorry I know, it's super short again, but I wanted to get it up since I am going to be bogged down with heaps of assignments in the next two weeks.

Please note that this has not been edited by me, I wanted to get it up asap but I will come back to it and clean it up later on.

Thank you so much for the reviews and follows/favourites I got for the prologue, they mean a lot to me. Thanks to EtchedInDiamond for being my first (non-anon) review and follow. I hope you enjoyed this one!

The next chapter is when (I think) that Don't Cry:Set Free, really begins, with actual interactions between Jack and Elsa.  
Again, constructive criticism and suggestions are always welcome, please tell me if I've made mistakes in this too! (I know they're in there... hahah)

Until next time! xxRR


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